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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy App vs. Symptom Tracking App
Outcome (from baseline to 12 weeks) | Digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy App | Symptom Tracking App | Effect |
---|---|---|---|
Overall symptom improvement | 71% | 22% | About 49 more people out of 100 using the digital ACT app reported at least minimal improvement in symptoms compared to people who used the symptom tracking app |
*Not all outcomes measured in the study are reported here. Overall symptom improvement was reported using Patient Global Impression of Change scale.
This was a randomized controlled trial (RCT).
Who? This study included 275 adults with fibromyalgia, aged 22 to 75, mostly women, recruited from 25 community sites across the United States.
What? The study compared a Digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) app with another app that offered daily symptom tracking and access to fibromyalgia-related educational materials.
Digital ACT app | vs | Symptom tracking app |
---|---|---|
Digital ACT app: smartphone app that provided self-guided sessions on mindfulness (type of meditation where you focus on your feelings without judgement), lifestyle changes, and behavioural exercises designed to improve ability to accept feelings and reduce pain. People could use the app whenever they wanted. There was no direct supervision from healthcare providers. People were encouraged to spend 15 to 20 minutes to complete a session on the app at least 5 days per week for a total of 42 sessions. There were also 6 study visits. | Symptom tracking app: smartphone app that provided daily symptom tracking and educational materials but did not teach ACT. People were encouraged to spend 15 to 20 minutes on the app at least 5 days per week for a total of 42 sessions. There were also 6 study visits. |
Fibromyalgia is known for causing widespread pain and fatigue. There are few effective treatment options. Researchers wanted to know if a Digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy app could improve symptoms for people with fibromyalgia. They found that people who used the Digital ACT app experienced greater improvement in their symptoms than people who used another app that just tracked symptoms and provided educational materials. Concerns about this study include that it was performed mostly in people who were well educated and comfortable with using technology and that the apps were only used over a short period of time (12 weeks). More studies are needed to confirm these findings over a longer term and across a more diverse group of people.
This Evidence Summary is based on the following article:
Gendreau RM, McCracken LM, Williams DA, et al. Self-guided digital behavioural therapy versus active control for fibromyalgia (PROSPER-FM): a phase 3, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2024 Jul 27;404(10450):364-374. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00909-7. Epub 2024 Jul 8. PubMed
Published: Friday, September 6, 2024
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